The Sprout: Commons ag committee to study farm debt

Good afternoon and welcome to the Sprout, where your host hopes everyone is enjoying this perfect hot cocoa weather — fitting, since it’s National Cocoa Day!

Now, here is today’s agriculture news.

The Lead:

The House of Commons agriculture committee has finalized its list of study topics. The committee is wrapping up its agriculture policy framework investigation and has finished its report on genetically modified animals, which likely will be tabled this week.

Committee business records show MPs have agreed to study farm debt. The investigation will take a closer look at the effect of debt on “young farmers and generational farms, start-up farms operating for 10 years or less, and the ability to expand farming operations.”

MPs will spend four meetings looking at technological advancements in the agriculture industry and four meetings on non-tariff agricultural trade barriers. They’ll also look for ways “the government can help the Canadian agriculture sector better adjust to the increasing severity of issues associated with climate change and better address water and soil conservation issues and that the Committee report its findings to the House.”

In Canada:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says provincial premiers can use the revenues generated through a federal carbon pricing plan to help industries like agriculture remain competitive. “The fact is that any revenue collected in provinces will be returned to those provinces and the premiers can give bonuses to farmers, can give rebates to farmers, can address the concerns of their population whichever way they see fit,” the prime minister told reporters during a late evening news conference.

But Saskatchewan’s agriculture industry is not comparable to British Columbia’s, Premier Brad Wall said late Friday, which means exemptions B.C makes for agriculture do not fulfill all of the Prairie province’s concerns about a price on carbon. The premier’s remarks come after Environment Minister Catherine McKenna’s office told iPolitics Ottawa could apply B.C’s agriculture exemptions in Saskatchewan’s federally imposed carbon plan.

CBC News has taken a closer look at Nunvut’s food inspections — and the findings aren’t good. Access to information documents show an inspector chemically tested 11 pieces of equipment at Baffin Deli in 2014 to see if those surfaces had been adequately cleaned. All 11 surfaces failed the cleanliness test.

Nestle Canada’s egg supply is going cage-free by 2025. As The Manitoba Co-operator reports, the company, which buys about 500,000 eggs annually, says it is “dedicated to working with Canadian farmers to make this transition.”

Internationally:

South Korea has issued a national, temporary ban on moving poultry in an effort to contain an outbreak of avian flu. As Reuters reports, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has said the movement control order will be effective for 48 hours, starting at midnight.

Argentina is turning to its agricultural industries to help spur economic growth. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Argentina’s grain farmers, hamstrung for more than a decade by price controls at home and high taxes on exports, are planting at a record pace this year as federal officials work to eliminate red tape.